London: BiH Independence Day celebrated in the British Parliament

BH UK The Network , together with MP Alicia Kearns and the All-Party Parliamentary Groups (APPG) for Bosnia and Herzegovina, organised celebration Independence Day of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The event was held in the UK Parliament (Jubilee Room), attended by a large number of British parliamentarians and Lords, including the Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons Dame Rosie Winterton, Lord Randall of Uxbridge, Alicia Kearns, Bob Stewart, Wayne David, Martin Vickers, Afzal Khan, Fleur Anderson, Harriet Baldwin, Marco Longhi, Jim Shannon, Ian Levy, Saqib Bhatti, James Gray, Sarah Atherton, Margaret Ferrier, Wendy Morton, Roger Gale, Jane Stevenson, Shaun Bailey, John Spellar, as well as representatives of the UK Foreign Office, the Embassy of BiH and the BH UK Network, and other distinguished guests.

The large number of British parliamentarians at the celebration of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Independence Day is confirmation that the UK is a friend of our homeland.

The patron of BH UK Network Alicia Kearns MP , chairwoman of the all-party parliamentary group for Bosnia and Herzegovina, welcomed us. “Thank you for coming today to celebrate 31 years of independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a great joy to host the celebration of BiH Independence Day for the second year in a row. I hope this is the second of 31 more celebrations, but it is so nice to gather the Bosnian community in the Parliament of the UK because this is your parliament. You make such a huge contribution to our country in our communities, and it is simply a joy to celebrate BiH Independence Day. It is a country that captures your heart, it is a country of magic and beauty and joy and people who wish for all of us open up your culture and your food and your society.” Kearns said.

In his address, the Ambassador of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the United Kingdom, Vanja Filipović , first of all thanked the hosts of this gathering in the British Parliament, MP Alicia Kearns, and the BH UK Network, for organizing a parliamentary reception on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ambassador Filipović emphasized that this is an important national holiday that is interwoven with positive emotions and a sense of national pride, but also sadness over the enormous human and material price that our country and its citizens have paid to preserve their independence, sovereignty and

territorial integrity. Just as in Ukraine, the democratic will of the vast majority of citizens who voted for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its European path was attempted to be suppressed by military aggression and then by an attempt to segregate citizens and peoples, as well as the final division of the territory and the disappearance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, the ambassador reminded, efforts to achieve these same goals are still being pursued by other methods today. Therefore, the ambassador emphasized, the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina count on the continued support and friendship of the Parliament and Government of the United Kingdom, which they have confirmed many times so far, as well as today, that our country has a strong friend and partner in the United Kingdom.

Dr. Anes Cerić , Manager of the BH UK Network, also addressed the attendees. Recalling that the United Kingdom is a leading country on the international scene when it comes to supporting peace and stability in Bosnia and Herzegovina, he took the opportunity to thank Alicia Kearns, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for BiH and the British Government for their continued support for both our homeland and the Bosnian-Herzegovinian community on the Island. “We are immensely happy and proud that our community, which survived genocide and ethnic cleansing and found refuge in the UK, is celebrating our homeland’s Independence Day today in the British Parliament. We thank you for your solidarity and support, it really means a lot to us. As a small gesture of our gratitude, we hope you will enjoy our gifts that we have prepared for everyone present – a cup of coffee, a cup of tea and baklava so that you can join British Bosnians and Herzegovinians across the UK who are toasting in honor of our homeland’s Independence Day and thinking about the thousands of people killed in genocide and ethnic cleansing who can no longer drink coffee with us.” Said Dr. Cerić

Martin Vickers MP , British Government Trade Envoy for the Western Balkans Region and Vice President of APPG He expressed his hope that trade and prosperity between our two countries will increase in the coming period: “Now is a great opportunity for British companies to invest in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the wider region. My role is to encourage and support them in that goal.” There is a lot of work to be done, I look forward to working with you and the businesses based in Bosnia and look forward to my next visit in mid-May.”

Representative Fleur Anderson was reminded by the entire atomsphere at the event of her days spent in our homeland: “It’s wonderful to be here and feel the wonderful taste of Bosnia, as if I was back in Bihać eating one of those pastries. I just want to say that we are different parties, but absolutely united in our support for Bosnia. During the war, I lived in Banja Luka and in 1999 I returned for a year with my baby and husband to rebuild the villages with the help of Christian aid, working with the EU and I absolutely love Bosnia. It’s such a beautiful country with such wonderful people – thank you so much for holding this event in Parliament where we can celebrate Bosnia and all that it is.”